6 Ways to Kick Start Wellness in the Workplace

This week we welcome Sara Tarca, a Workforce Health Consultant at One Digital to the blog! As someone who specializes in sharing the benefits of wellness in the workplace, she is an expert on helping employers utilize strategies and tools to keep their employees healthy. As Sara says, introducing health initiatives into company culture can be tricky. If you are an employer who wants to support your employees' wellbeing, or you want share your lifestyle with coworkers in your office, use these tips to easily introduce the benefits of a healthy workplace environment. 

6 Ways to Kick Start Health and Wellness in the Workplace

Fitting in movement and exercise among employees requires a little proactive thinking and commitment to changing your strategy. If squeezing in a formal exercise session isn’t possible, know that several short bursts of activity count too. Here are a few exercise tips that will help you make this your team's success story.

1. Get moving! Encourage employees to take the stairs, walk to their colleague's office rather than emailing, or even use the restrooms on another floor. Think of other opportunities that will encourage them to walk around and stretch their legs.
2. Invest in a fitness tracker. Tracking physical activity will keep them mindful of their daily movement and motivate them to shoot for a heart-healthy 10,000 steps or more a day.
3. Join a gym that's right for them. Some companies provide an incentive to join a local gym, but if not encourage your team to join a gym that is in a convenient location to fit their schedule.
4. Work out at home. Home exercise can be the best way to maximize convenience. A wide variety of fitness apps bring classes and new instructors on demand and many can be done with no exercise equipment at all. Yoga, boot camp, cardio classes and strength training are all right on a tablet or smart TV.
5. Take a meeting outside. Suggest business meetings at a local track rather than the boardroom. Encourage employees to move their morning meetings outside and walk around the building, boosting mood and creativity from being outdoors.
6. Lose the time constraint. Keep your employees focused on the commitment of being active, not the time spent. Any time spent exercising will help improve their overall fitness, decrease stress and strengthen mindset.

Show support for workplace wellness by encouraging your company to create an active working environment by providing opportunities for employees to be active throughout the workday. Create check-ins and incentives to encourage participation. Use this month to break the mold and stick to the wellness plan you’ve always wanted.

About the Author

Sara Tarca, Workforce Health Consultant at One Digital

As Workforce Health Consultant, Sara utilizes over 20 years of experience in the Wellness and Health Promotion industry to support employers as they look to navigate and make strides in workforce health improvement. Throughout her career, Sara has provided insight, strategy, program development and trend analysis to client populations as related to health improvement, cost containment, benefit structure and RVOI. Her experience working “both sides of the table”, first as a practitioner (personal trainer, health coach, clinician), then as a representative for the insurance carrier, advisor and benefits administrator, has allowed Sara to develop a unique understanding of the needs and challenges that employers face in the wellness arena.